Qin Lou and Song Shu's wedding was finally scheduled for September.
According to the two people's original intention, the wedding banquet was a cumbersome and meaningless step, and was originally going to be omitted. But Qin Yuzheng and Mei Jinghan, the two elders, naturally would not agree. Even though Song Shu repeatedly used delaying tactics, he still couldn't persuade the two elders.
In the end, Qin Lou and Song Shu had no choice but to choose a date from the ones Mei Jinghan had asked someone to choose, and set the wedding date for mid-September.
At the end of August, the day before Bai Song’s death anniversary.
At noon, just after lunch, Luan Qiaoqing took leave from the company in advance and came to the Qin family's old house, intending to accompany Song Shu to prepare for tomorrow's sacrificial ceremony.
The housekeeper led Luan Qiaoqing into the main hall on the first floor of the main building, "Miss Luan, please take a seat first. Miss Song Shu is taking a nap on the third floor now. According to the young master's instructions, we dare not go up to disturb her..."
"I understand, I understand." Luan Qiaoqing understood and waved her hands in disdain, "How can I not understand the temper of that wife slave? If anyone rubs against his little clam shell a little more, he will use his eyes to scrape off three layers of skin from that person."
The butler smiled good-naturedly.
Luan Qiaoqing suddenly seemed to remember something, "But, when did my sister move to the third floor?"
The housekeeper recalled, "We moved to the third floor at the end of last year."
Luan Qiaoqing curled her lips, "Didn't that arrogant Qin Lou always forbid people from going up to the third floor when they were little?"
The housekeeper smiled and said, "Even now, except for the young master and the young lady, no one else can go up to the third floor. As for Miss Song Shu, the young master begged her to go up when she was a child, but she refused."
"That must be Qin Lou's own fault." Luan Qiaoqing stood on her sister's side without hesitation.
The butler smiled but said nothing.
The servant quickly brought Luan Qiaoqing the prepared black tea. Luan Qiaoqing naturally felt embarrassed to have the housekeeper, an elder who was about the same age as her father, standing by her side. After taking the black tea and taking a sip, she put down the cup and said to the housekeeper, "Please take care of your own things. I'll just wait here for my sister to come down."
The housekeeper nodded, "Then please make yourself at your own convenience, Miss Luan. Call me if you need anything."
"OK."
"… "
After the housekeeper left, Luan Qiaoqing sat in the main hall for a while and then felt a little bored. She got up from the sofa and walked to the side of the main hall.
On the sunny south side of the main hall is a moon-shaped door, behind which is an ear room, and around the corner leads to a corridor.
On both sides of the moon-shaped gate were antique display shelves designed along the arched doors. Luan Qiaoqing naturally knew that any of the ornaments and toys on them would be rare items that could be used as heirlooms, so she simply didn't even touch them.
However, in the center of this antique shelf, there is an object that is out of tune with the other items on the shelf.
A lavender cube gift box, the lid of which was half-open, with intricately decorated fireworks hanging from the box.
But even the most exquisite design cannot conceal the fact that this is just a modern gift box without much collection value - compared with its ancestors, each of which is at least a few thousand years older than it, its existence is obviously very strange.
Luan Qiaoqing couldn't suppress her curiosity, took two steps forward, and stood on tiptoe to see what was in the half-open box. After staring for a few seconds, Luan Qiaoqing's face darkened, and she reached out and took out the things inside.
A sixth-order Rubik's Cube.
It was also one of the shadows of her childhood.
Luan Qiaoqing took the Rubik's Cube in her hand and turned it back and forth twice, but she couldn't see what was new about it. It was neither inlaid with gold and jade nor did it look like it had any mechanism hidden. She prepared to put it back with disgust.
Before she could touch the box again, she suddenly heard a faint voice behind her -
"If Qin Lou sees you, you might not be able to get out of this door."
"!"
Luan Qiaoqing was so frightened that she shuddered and the Rubik's Cube in her hand almost fell to the ground, but fortunately her survival instinct allowed her to grab the Rubik's Cube with both hands and hug it in her arms in the first second.
After confirming that the Rubik's Cube was safe and sound, Luan Qiaoqing breathed a sigh of relief, then sighed and turned her head away, "Sister, are you planning to scare me to death?"
In the main hall behind Luan Qiaoqing, it was Song Shu who had just come down the stairs.
At this time, Song Shu had already yawned and sat on the sofa with a blank expression. Hearing this, she raised her eyes seriously and looked at Luan Qiaoqing, "I'm not scaring you. I'm serious. Qin Lou never lets anyone touch that magic cube. If he sees it, it will be very difficult for you to walk out of this door."
"—?" Luan Qiaoqing's expression immediately became cautious upon hearing this. She carefully put the Rubik's Cube back and laughed softly, "Well, no one else saw it anyway. If you don't say anything and I don't say anything, then no one will know, right?"
Song Shu smiled faintly, "Do you think Qin Lou is you? Even if his things were only moved a little distance and then put back, he would be able to tell them apart."
Luan Qiaoqing froze: "… So perverted? That's right, that's his style."
After thinking for a while but still unable to come up with a solution, Luan Qiaoqing could only turn her head away with a sad face, "What should I do? He's already taken everything from me. Will Qin Lou beat me to death?"
"I've told you since you were a child not to touch other people's things, but you still don't remember." Song Shu glanced at her.
Luan Qiaoqing said with a sad face, "Sister, don't you know what kind of person I am? Most of the time, my actions are much faster than my brain. When you were curious just now, I had already reached out and took it out."
"Um."
"It's already this late, please stop saying hum. I'm looking at Qin Lou. No, I think my brother-in-law is coming back soon. How long will it take him to notice? Do I have much time left to live?"
Song Shu couldn't help laughing, "Okay, stop playing tricks. Just bring it over here."
"?" Although Luan Qiaoqing was confused, she still obediently brought the Rubik's Cube to Song Shu, "Sister, do you want to...?"
Song Shu reached out and took it.
The Rubik's Cube was in its original state, with six sides painted with neat and beautiful glazes. After Song Shu took it, he stared at it for two seconds, raised his lips slightly, and then his slender fingers lightly turned the Rubik's Cube a few times.
In just a few seconds, the Rubik's Cube was in a mess.
Luan Qiaoqing, who was standing next to him, was dumbfounded and took several seconds to react: "Sister... you saw me jumping into the pit, not only did you not pull me out, but you also filled me with dirt."
"… "
Song Shu glanced at her with a smile.
The main hall was quiet for a few dozen seconds, and Luan Qiaoqing suddenly realized something and showed a happy expression: "Sister, are you ready to take this matter on yourself?"
Song Shu was silent for two seconds, then sighed softly, his tone full of regret for his sister who was always a step behind, "Is your relationship with Vice President Chu going smoothly?"
"!" Luan Qiaoqing almost jumped up from the sofa, "Who is dating Chu Xiangbin?!"
Song Shu raised his eyes slowly, playing with the Rubik's Cube intermittently while glancing at Luan Qiaoqing, "Anyway, it shouldn't be me."
"You must have heard some nonsense rumors," Luan Qiaoqing was so anxious that her eyes moved around. At some point, she caught sight of the Rubik's Cube in Song Shu's hand and quickly changed the subject. "Where did this Rubik's Cube come from? Why is it placed on the antique shelf and even given a central position in the exhibition?"
Song Shu didn't stick to the previous topic and went down the "stairs", "It's Qin Lou's birthday, and this is my birthday present for him."
Luan Qiaoqing: “…”
Luan Qiaoqing had a blank expression on her face. "It's just a birthday present. Does he plan to celebrate his birthday only once in his life? Why does he have to put it on display in the main hall so solemnly, not allowing anyone to touch it?"
Song Shu thought for a moment and said, "There is a special moment - we registered our marriage on his birthday this year, so this can be considered as my wedding gift to him."
Luan Qiaoqing: “…”
Luan Qiao bent her legs and knelt on the carpet in front of the sofa without hesitation, and clasped her hands in front of Song Shu.
"Sister, you must keep it a secret and don't tell him that I touched it! Qin Lou has such a bad temper. If he knew that I had tainted your wedding gift, even if he endured it during the day for your sake, he would definitely sleepwalk and chop off my hand at night!"
Song Shu asked with amusement: "Can you be more promising?"
Luan Qiaoqing was about to cry: "Can success save my life?"
"Okay, stop being so pretentious." Song Shu reached out and touched her forehead. She stood up from the sofa and said, "Aren't you here to accompany me to prepare for tomorrow's death anniversary? Let's go upstairs and talk."
"Oh, okay."
Luan Qiaoqing stood up quickly.
Observing Song Shu's back, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Before coming here, I was worried about Song Shu's unstable mood, but now it seems that time is indeed the best medicine to heal wounds.
Qin Lou arrived home in the evening.
As Song Shu said, he found that the gift box on the antique shelf had been moved almost as soon as he entered the main hall. His lazy expression a second ago suddenly became gloomy.
However, when Qin Lou walked to the antique shelf and found that it was empty, his expression relaxed again.
The butler watched the whole process from the side and asked cautiously, "Master, what's wrong?"
Qin Lou raised his eyes lazily, "The Rubik's Cube is gone."
"!" The butler's face changed instantly.
Before he could say anything, Qin Lou's eyes flickered slightly, "It's okay if someone touched it, but no one has the courage to take it away. It must be in the little clam shell."
The housekeeper also figured this out at this point, heaved a sigh of relief, and smiled helplessly, "Miss Song Shu didn't mention it."
Qin Lou unbuttoned his suit, took off his coat and walked upstairs, "Are there any guests coming to your house this afternoon?"
"Miss Luan is here?"
"… What is she doing here?" Qin Lou frowned slightly.
The housekeeper had long been accustomed to his young master's hostility towards Luan Qiaoqing, and at this moment he could not help but say helplessly: "He is probably here for Madam Bai Song's death anniversary tomorrow."
“—”
Qin Lou's steps up the stairs suddenly stopped.
After a few seconds, he went upstairs again without saying another word.
Just by chance, he just went up to the second floor and saw Song Shu and Luan Qiaoqing coming from the corridor on the second floor. The three of them bumped into each other at the entrance of the stairs.
Luan Qiaoqing glanced at Qin Lou guiltily, muttered "Hello, brother-in-law," and turned to look at Song Shu, "Sister, I'll go back first. I'll come over to accompany you tomorrow morning."
"Yeah." Song Shu nodded.
Luan Qiaoqing turned around and prepared to go downstairs. Qin Lou didn't mean to say more - for the creature he regarded as a love rival, Qin Lou's principle was to see him as little as possible.
However, after walking down two steps, Luan Qiaoqing couldn't help but turn around and ask, "Brother-in-law, are you still not willing to go see my aunt tomorrow?"
Qin Lou’s back paused.
Song Shu's expression also froze. After a few seconds, she raised her eyelids and glanced at Luan Qiaoqing without any emotion, but with a warning in her eyes.
Luan Qiaoqing pursed her lips, but ultimately said nothing else and went downstairs mumbling to herself.
Song Shu and Qin Lou were the only ones left in the corridor.
Song Shu seemed to have forgotten Luan Qiaoqing's words in the blink of an eye. She took two steps and stopped in front of Qin Lou, raising her hand to straighten his tie that had been pulled to the side.
But before she could do it right, Qin Lou raised his hand and grasped her wrist.
Song Shu was slightly startled and looked up at the man in front of him.
Qin Lou held her hand, emotions surging in his eyes for a moment. Finally, he just lowered his eyes, grasped her wrist stubbornly, held it in front of him, and kissed her fingertips lightly.
Qin Lou whispered: "Why not ask."
Song Shu: "What do you want to ask?"
Qin Lou frowned unconsciously, "Ask me... why I didn't want to accompany you to see her."
Song Shu's eyes showed a helpless smile, "Do you need to ask?"
She lowered her hand and slowly straightened Qin Lou's tie. "Just like I know that every time you get home, you deliberately loosen your tie so that I can come and straighten it for you - how could I not know what you are thinking?"
“…” Qin Lou’s eyes moved slightly.
Song Shu smoothed out the last wrinkle on the tie, she lowered her hands, and then gently moved it forward.
Song Shu hugged Qin Lou, put his face close to him, and sighed softly, "I won't ask, because even if I know that asking or telling you is useless, you will still blame yourself, you can't let it go."
Qin Lou's eyes flickered.
After a few seconds, he finally came back to his senses from his frozen state, raised his hands and hugged the girl in front of him tightly. The voice resounded in his chest, with a sigh that sounded like laughter and tears:
"Yes, I will never get over it. Fortunately, I don't have to get over it, because I don't even need to say it out loud - no one in this world knows me better than you, little clam. So no matter how many people misunderstand me, as long as you are here, I don't care what they think."
"… "
Song Shu sighed.
A moment of silence.
The butler's question came from the bottom of the stairs: "Master, Miss Song Shu, dinner is ready."
"… knew."
Qin Lou responded in a hoarse voice.
He took a half step back, lowered his hand, took Song Shu's hand into his palm, and then slowly tightened it, "Let's go downstairs to eat?"
Song Shu was about to nod when he suddenly remembered something and said, "Wait."
"?"
Before Qin Lou could say anything, he saw Song Shu walking back to the corridor and coming back after a while.
This time, there was a Rubik's Cube in her hand that was spinning all over the place.
Song Shu held the Rubik's Cube in front of Qin Lou, "Pre-meal task."
“…” Qin Lou took it and looked at it for two seconds, then he frowned slightly.
Song Shu tilted his head and asked, "What's wrong? You don't know how to play anymore?"
Qin Lou sighed, "The structure of the sixth-order Rubik's Cube is not very solid. If you use the wrong amount of force, it may break apart completely."
"This one is of good quality." Song Shu said with a frown.
After hesitating for a long time, Qin Lou finally started to turn the Rubik's Cube slowly - this was the first time he played with the Rubik's Cube so slowly, and he looked so cautious as if he would crush the Cube if he was not careful.
But Song Shu didn't say anything. He just stood quietly by the side and watched him finish turning.
When Qin Lou finally restored the Rubik's Cube in the fewest steps but in the longest time, he took Song Shu downstairs and put the Rubik's Cube back to its original place.
He turned around and said, "Don't touch me next time."
Song Shu glanced at him expressionlessly, "It's obviously a gift from me to you."
Qin Lou snorted coldly, "I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about Luan Qiaoqing."
"… "
"If you dare to touch her again, I'll chop off her hand." Qin Lou's eyes were fierce.
Song Shu stared at Qin Lou in silence for two seconds, then sighed, "Did you install a fingerprint scanner on your eyes?"
Qin Lou chuckled, "Just like you know me best, I also know you best - you want to hide it from me, do you think it's possible?"
"… "
Qin Lou looked at the girl who rarely showed any frustration, and his mouth was almost curled up with joy. He stretched out his hand and led her to the restaurant, and the lingering sound echoed in the main hall -
"Just accept your fate, little clam."
"What fate do you want to accept?"
"It was destined that we were a perfect match."
"… "
Song Shu was silent for two seconds, then slowly held Qin Lou's hand, a smile gradually appearing in his eyes.
"Yes, a madman and a clam, a perfect match."
The author has something to say: Jinjiang Literature and the author wish dear readers and friends: a safe and happy Spring Festival holiday! At the same time, we kindly remind everyone to wash hands frequently, wear masks, ventilate more and avoid gathering together